The Matchday 2 encounter of the Winline Winter Cup RPL between Zenit and CSKA will take place on February 4 at the Al-Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Zenit vs. CSKA: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Zenit
Sergei Semak's side will play their first match in this tournament. Heading into the start, the Saint Petersburg team occupies second place in the RPL after 18 rounds: they are level on points (39) with Krasnodar but trail due to additional criteria. Notably, with 37 goals scored, Zenit has outperformed all other teams in this season's Premier League in this aspect. Furthermore, no team has conceded fewer goals than Zenit in the current championship (12 goals).
Before the start of the Winline Winter Cup RPL, Zenit played two friendly matches against the Jordan national team (1:0 and 1:1), as well as games against the Armenian club Noah (1:2) and Moscow Dynamo (1:3). It is worth noting that defender Vyacheslav Karavaev will not participate in the tournament due to injury.
- The team has not lost in 12 of their last 16 friendly matches (10 wins, 2 draws).
- Both opponents scored in 6 of the last 7 friendly matches.
- At least three goals were scored in 6 of the last 7 friendly games involving Zenit.
Projected lineup for Zenit (4-5-1)
Denis Adamov – Nikita Lobov, Alexander Tarasov, Sergey Chernov, Dmitry Chistyakov – Du Queiroz, Nikita Vershinin, Ilzat Akhmetov, Luciano Gondou, Alexander Erokhin – Mateo Cassierra.
CSKA
Marko Nikolic's side defeated Rostov 1-0 in the first round. Heading into the tournament, the Moscow team is in good shape: in the Premier League standings, CSKA is sixth, with 31 points, just six points behind the top three. The club has shown strong defensive capabilities this season: in the championship, they have conceded only 14 goals, second only to two clubs, and in the national Cup, CSKA has conceded just two goals in eight matches in the current campaign.
- The club has not lost in their last eight friendly matches (6 wins, 2 draws).
- At least three goals were scored in 11 of the last 12 friendly games.
- CSKA scored at least twice in 7 of the last 8 friendly matches.
Projected lineup for CSKA (4-2-3-1)
Igor Akinfeev – Igor Diveev, Dzhamalutdin Abdulkadyrov, Moises Barbosa, Kellven – Sasha Zdjelar, Miralem Pjanic – Abbos Faizullaev, Sekou Koita, Ivan Oblyakov – Saul Guarirapa.
Referee
Artyom Chistyakov (Russia)
Matches – 10 (RPL, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 37;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.7;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 40%.
Zenit vs. CSKA: Match Prediction
Zenit remains one of the main contenders for the RPL title, but this season has not been easy for the team. There are significant concerns about their attacking play: in the last ten matches in the championship and the Russian Cup, Zenit players have not scored more than two goals, and in five of those matches, Sergei Semak's side did not score more than once.
CSKA, on the other hand, is a club capable of containing opponents' attacks. In the Premier League, they have conceded only 14 goals, and in the Russian Cup, they have conceded just two goals in eight matches. Moreover, in 26 matches this season, Marko Nikolic's team has not conceded more than two goals.
I do not expect Zenit to shine offensively against CSKA, so my prediction is: Zenit Individual Total Under 2
